


Cookleta: A Collection

by gliese581



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-15
Updated: 2012-02-14
Packaged: 2017-10-31 05:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 2,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/340222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gliese581/pseuds/gliese581
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short Cookleta AUs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Cookleta Wedding - Cook at the altar, watching Archie walk down the isle to him.

Cook itched to wipe his hands on his tuxedo pants as he stood behind heavy oak doors, waiting for them to and let him step into the decorated wedding hall. Cook knew that Archie was probably just as nervous standing behind his own ornate doorway, but that thought fled his mind when the music began in earnest and the doors slowly opened to reveal the assorted guests.

Nervousness now pushed behind anticipation, Cook stepped out from the side-room and made his way towards the center aisle. He stopped at the aisle and looked up at the door on the opposite wall when the music began swelling again. The solid oak door started opening and Cook’s breath caught when he saw Archie step out and come towards the aisle to meet him.

Cook saw their entire life together flash before his eyes, when Archie met his eyes with a small smile. Cook saw the first day of sophomore year, when a doe-eyed freshman stumbled into band and into his heart. He saw them years into the future, with a big family and a legion of grandkids to spoil. Cook’s heart ached with want at the thought of their future together, but most of all, he never wanted to forget the image of Archie in his black tuxedo.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Disneyland - Cook wearing a Mickey Mouse hat.

Admittedly, going to Disneyland while the press was still talking about their relationship was probably not the best idea Cook had ever thought up. Archie looked close to his wit’s end with the constant requests for a photo. At least Disney’s security people, who put the Secret Service to shame, were keeping the paparazzi from entering the park.

“Think we can stay in here forever?” Cook mock-whispered as they stood in line for Splash Mountain. “We could do weekly concerts for Disney as payment.”

Archie jabbed an elbow into Cook’s side and shot him a disapproving look, but cringed when a flashbulb went off from the end of the line.

“I can’t believe you’re still wearing these.” Cook said fondly, flicking the Mickey Mouse ears perched on Archie’s head.

“It tradition!” Archie shot back, hands shooting up to protect the hat. “It would be rude not to wear it.”

There was a scuffle as security descended on the offending paparazzo. Cook might have felt bad about the paparazzo, his kids were probably plotting his demise at now being banned from the park, if the photographer wasn’t a leech.

“Hey Archie, you know what I think we should do when we leave?” Cook asked, as they reached the front of the line.

“Yes, but my answer is no. We’re not chartering a helicopter to pick us up from inside the park to avoid the news vans circling outside.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Best friends in love - realizing they're in love and admitting it to each other.

Cook felt something coil around in his chest when Archie ran out of the locker room with a towel thrown haphazardly over his head. A drop of water caught Cook’s eyes as it trailed down from Archie’s wet hair and rolled slowly down his neck. The feeling in Cook’s chest turned scorching hot and Cook’s heart hammered in his chest.

“Sorry, sorry!” Archie apologized when he saw Cook standing in front of the door. “Coach is making us practice extra for the meet next week. And then Coach got mad cause Jason started complaining about how you’re only letting me ride with you.”

Archie shook his hair like a wet dog and furiously scrubbed his towel through his hair. Cook’s brain short-circuited when Archie looked up at him with a smile and a twinkle in his bright eyes.

“You okay, Cook?” Archie asked, concern showing in his face at Cook’s dazed expression.

Cook’s right arm twitched when his brain lurched back into action. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine!” Cook yelled out a bit too loudly. “So, you wanna get something to eat?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Twilight - Werewolf I

Cook tiptoed into the house as quietly as he could, as not to startle Archie, who Cook knew was probably napping inside. Running around after toddlers was not as easy as some people thought, being a daycare teacher involved real hard work; Cook had no idea how Archie put up with the job and still kept a smile on his face while doing it.

Just as Cook expected, Archie was asleep on the living room floor with their son, Derek, curled up near his front paws. Archie’s rough nose twitched when Cook quietly shuffled closer to the living room, but the black-furred wolf didn’t wake up. Cook silently shifted into his wolf body and padded the rest of the way into the room.

Archie’s ears twitched when Cook lowered himself on the carpeted floor next to the younger wolf and wrapped his body around the two sleeping forms of Archie and Derek. Derek wriggled around between the two larger bodies before falling back asleep. As Cook fell asleep, Archie opened a single amber eye and moved to rest his head on Cook’s auburn-furred back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Twilight - Werewolves II

Cook nudged Derek forward with his muzzle, but the pup stubbornly refused to detach from Cook’s side. The young wolf dug his dark paws into the dirt, scrambling for traction. Archie loped back from the other side of the small clearing when he heard Derek whining low in his throat.

With a growl, Cook stepped between his mate and their pup, Derek would never learn anything about being a wolf if Archie kept coddling him. Archie growled right back at Cook and made no moves to back down. Deciding posturing and canine growling wouldn’t help get his point across, Cook shifted back into his human body.

“He isn’t going to get any better if you baby him.” Cook said, voice scratchy after shifting. Cook dug around the duffle they’d brought and rooted around for a pair of boxers. When Cook pulled on his pants, Archie was crouching a few feet away, naked as the day he was born.

“And pushing him off the deep end isn’t healthy either.” Archie argued, ignoring the clothes Cook threw at him. “He’s allowed to be scared and confused after what happened to his birth parents.”

At the mention of Johns and Carly, Cook’s inner wolf itched to track down the drunk driver and show him why nobody messed with the pack. The anger slightly died down when Derek crawled into the duffle bag and snuggled around a sweater.

“How long do you plan on letting him stay as a wolf? A year? Two years?” Cook demanded. “We wait too long and he might be too feral.”

“You heard what the doctor said. Derek’ll shift back on his own when he feels safe, again.” Archie said, sighing in defeat and pulling on his clothes. “You were stuck in your wolf form for a month after Adam died, remember? Derek just needs time.”

There was a soft snore from the duffle bag, and when Cook looked down, the pup was sound asleep. Cook ran a gentle hand along the slumbering pup’s soft fur. Archie sat down on the dirt in front of Cook and Derek.

“I know you want to fix everything right now, but sometimes you need to give things time, Cook.” Archie whispered, mindful of the pup. “Just give Derek some time to grieve in his own way. He deserves that, at least.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Twilight - Werewolves III

Cook’s head snapped up at the sound of Archie desperately calling his name, slamming his head into the open hood of the Charger. Ignored the throbbing pain in his head, Cook shifted and tore out of the garage.

Cook could smell something off coming from Derek’s nursery, and that made his inner wolf thrash in anger at the back of Cook’s brain. His mate and pup were in danger and Cook was prepared to attack whatever was behind the half-closed door. What Cook wasn’t prepared for was a missing Derek and Archie cradling a squirming infant in his arms. 

Archie jumped and his eyes widened when he noticed Cook looming in the doorway. Cook slowly padded into the room, eyes fixed on the baby and sniffing the air around them. Closer to source, Cook noticed that the different smell was not caused by an odd undertone, but by a missing scent. The sour smell of another shifted wolf was gone and he could only smell Archie and Derek.

Archie crouched down so Derek and Cook could see each other for the first time as human baby and wolf. Derek giggled when Cook licked his outstretched fist with a rough canine tongue. 

Cook honestly didn’t even notice or care when Derek pulled at his ears.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cook and Archie performing on stage together.

Archie knew the moment Cook saw him, because the older man stopped mid-sentence and stared as Archie walked out on the stage. Andy shot him a smile and Kyle shot him a thumbs-up from behind his kit, even Neal gave him a small nod in encouragement. Beyond the large stage, the crowd was going wild, but all Archie could focus on was Cook’s startled face.

“Hi, Cook.” The greeting shook Cook out of his shock, and Archie let out a grunt when Cook pulled him into a crushing hug. Cook was sweaty and smelled like an old gym-sock, but Archie didn’t care.

“You doing okay, Arch?” Cook whispered, keeping an arm thrown protectively over Archie’s shoulder. The lights made Archie’s pulse skyrocket and he had to do his breathing exercises to keep from running off the stage. “We can head backstage.”

Archie shook his head and took a fortifying breath to gather his nerves. The mike was like a lead bar in his hands, but Archie smiled and raised it to his mouth. “Um. This song is called ‘All You Did Was Save My Life’ by Cook’s favorite band, Our Lady Peace.” Neal, Kyle, and Andy started playing the song. “I hope you guys enjoy it.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cook's family moves into a new neighborhood and Archie brings over freshly baked "welcome to the neighborhood" cookies.

Cook's life was completely over. What was his mom thinking, moving them out of Blue Springs at the end of his junior year. Not to mention deciding on _Utah_ of all places as their new home. Obviously she just wanted to make his life as miserable as possible.

“Please stop sulking, David.” His mom said as she took a break from directing the movers around their new house. “This is difficult for all of us, and you being in a mood isn’t making this any easier.”

Cook hunched his shoulders and pulled out his cellphone. “I’m gonna go call Neal and see what he’s doing.” Cook mumbled as he trudged out to the driveway. The sun momentarily blinded him when he stepped out to the end of the driveway, and Cook barely kept from running into someone. 

Someone turned out to be a boy, probably a freshman from one look at the kid, holding a plate of _cookies_. Even if the kid was ridiculously cute and earnest, who even did stuff like giving out cookies nowadays, anyway?

“Hi, I’m your neighbor, David!”

And in what Andrew would later call “the moment Cook became a dirty pedo,” the ass, Cook knew at that instant that the move to Murray wasn’t _all_ bad.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Balto!AU

Cook looked away from the frozen expanse when he heard Archie calling for him. The howling wind whipped Archie’s scarf as the darkly colored husky limped on his injured paw towards Cook. The wolf-dog trotted back towards Archie before the younger canine injured himself more than he already was.

“You should go back, Archie.” Cook admonished as he sat back on his haunches in front of Archie. The husky huffed a breath at the statement. “You’re going to keep going in this weather, aren’t you? I can see it in your eyes, Cook.”

Cook turned his head and looked back out towards the frozen tundra, the wind was picking up, and it was stirring up some of the snow. It was uninviting to be sure, but Cook needed to follow through with his mission. None of those caskets were going to be used, not if Cook had anything to do about it.

Archie used his mouth to pull his light-blue scarf off of his shoulders and laid it out at Cook’s front paws. “I want you to take this. It’ll keep you warm out.”

“Archie -” Cook began, before Archie took the edge of his scarf into his mouth again, and threw the fabric around Cook’s neck.

“I believe in you, Cook.” Archie whispered, stepping away from Cook. “Be safe.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Zombies

To say that Tulsa’s first impression of Murray as dead weight was correct, would be like saying the zombie apocalypse, patent pending, was a vacation in Cabo. The kid was all bright eyed and earnest, but put him near a zombie? Well, let’s just say Tulsa had never seen anyone use a hacksaw quite like that before.

“Where’re you headed, kid?” Tulsa asked as they scavenged around a 7-11, looking for water and unspoiled food for their journey.

Murray sniffed a bag of bagels, shrugged, and stuffed it in his ratty backpack. “Wherever there’re no zombies walking around?”

“Well what do you -” The words died in Tulsa’s mouth when Murray shot forward and stuffed deft hands into the back of Tulsa’s pants - and pulled out the gun Tulsa kept there.

There were three quick shots and Tulsa heard the thud of a body hitting the floor behind him. The zombie corpse had a cheery name-tag still attached to it’s chest and three closely grouped bullet holes decorating its head. Tulsa was shocked and didn’t even notice Murray putting the gun back.

“So, you were saying?” Murray asked cheerily, leaning away and going back to filling his pack.

“Never mind.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Game show Cookleta.

Archie cracked an awkward smile and scratched the back of his neck when the camera panned back to face him. The lights dimmed, as the camera shifted back to the host and the corny intro music died down.

“Welcome back to our very special celebrity edition, everyone.” The audience’s clapping and cheering was deafening. “So David, could you tell us about the charity you and your husband are playing for?”

Archie perked up at the question. “Sure! We’re playing for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. For people who don’t know what they do, the charity provides a comfortable place for patients and their families to stay during prolonged hospitalization due to illness or injury. Cook and I both really admire what they do, so, uh, here we are.”

“That’s a very noble charity to be representing today.” The host shuffled some note cards and shot a practiced smile at the camera. “But let’s see if you can bring home the grand prize for them! Please welcome back David Cook everybody!”

The crowd was even louder when the fake wall slid open and Cook came out to the stage. Archie finally felt calmer when Cook slid a hand into Archie’s and gave Archie a comforting squeeze. “You guys probably got an earful about my annoying habits, huh?”

“Well, you’ll find out after one question.” The host turned serious again. “But first, we heard that there was a story behind this particular charity. Could you tell us about that?”

Cook and Archie looked at each other for a second, before Cook spoke. “We had a rough patch before we started dating, and it was actually at a charity event for the Ronald McDonald House in New York when we really saw each other again. I like to say that we’re here thanks to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, so it’s only fitting that we come here to do this in return.”

“So, David Cook, let’s see how well you know your husband!” The lights turned brighter and a scoreboard came up on the large screen behind the podium. “While you were backstage, we asking Archie some questions and if you can answer at least two of them correctly, you’ll both advance to the next round! Are you ready?”

Cook gave Archie a final squeeze and nodded.


End file.
